Easel-album



" (No'ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' W. A. HOLMAN.

EASEL ALBUM.

, No. 513,108. Patented Jan. 23 1894..

Inventor.

Mm; MM'M Attorney.

2 t e e h S m e e h S 2 M MU u A L A ..E u d O M 0 w No. 513,108. Patented Jan. 23, 1894.

Inventor.

nnnlllllll-l I II I I:

Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM A. HOLMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

EASEL-ALBUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,108, dated January 23, 1894. Application fil d November 15, 189?;- Serial No, 490,988- (No model.)

v a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,

have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Easel-Albums, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to easel albums, and has for its object, the two-fold purpose, first, of ma1ntaining the book normally in an inclined position by its rear cover, on a resting base or stand so that when the book is opened by its first cover and succeeding leaves, the pictures may be viewed on a horizontal line of v1s1on; and secondly, that when it is desired to insert pictures within the mats of the leaves the book may be opened perfectly flat, and supported firmly in that position, partly upon the stand and partly upon the buffer rest hereinafter described. To accomplish theseobjects by devices which will permit the book to be opened while in its normally nclined position without undue strain upon its binding edge or upon the leaf bindings, and also permit the book to. be laid fiat and opened, and properly supported, for the easy insertion of picturesin the picture mats without tearing or inj uringthe mats or the book, I have invented the improvements hereinafter described, which consist of the combination with an abum, of a base rest or stand, eyes or equivalent hinging devices mounted thereon,

a hinge-brace or braces pivoted in said eyes at one end and to the edge of the back cover of the albumat the other end,abuffer rest proecting from the back cover of the album,

' and means secured to the base rest or stand against which the buffer may abut to limit the rear movementof the book; also in minor comblnations and in details of the structure as will be hereinafter referred to and pointed of the device of Fig. l, with the book opened out and laid fiat; and Fig. 5 is a like view of the modified device of Fig. 2.

inclined position upon a supporting base ,which is provided with an inclined surface are open to'the objection that theincline affords an obstacle more or less great to the free opening of the book, and hence strains thetextile connections between the leaves, and between the levers and the flexible binding edge and covers of the book. This results from the necessities of such a construction, operating, when thebook is opened byits front cover,

climbupthe incline on the base and finally roll over it or at least rest by the edge of the back cover on the extreme outer edge of the incline, when the book is fully opened at its last inner leaf. In my former patent, No. 491,942, granted to me, dated February 14, 1893, this objection was partlyovercome by the hinge brace employed to support the book presenting a pivot point at its base next the supporting stand, which pivot point is the lower fulcrum of movement of the book while being opened, and takes up or cases the strain on the binding edge while the book is being rolled over the incline; the strain being in fact transferred thereto by this mode of construction.

My present invention is an improvement upon the structure therein described.

The base or stand A is provided with an incline D at one of its longitudinal sides, upon which the back binding edge cl of the book may rest. A pair of low posts H (see Fig. 1) recessed at 7.2, to form hinge eyes, are secured to the base A at an appropriate distance from each other, slightly greater than the width of the book to be mounted thereby, and through these a wire rod E E E is passed to form a hinge brace, by bending'the said rod at each end at right angles to the part markedE' eyes. The back cover of the album is preferably provided with shields m, with a recess T passing through the same, and extending for a short distance laterally into the thick cover of the album. (See Fig. 3.) The free ends of the brace arms E E are inserted into the said recess T in the book cover, and are to cause the back binding edge of the book to which'passes through the said posts or hinge j All easel albums supportedin a vertically preferably provided with a limiting knob or ball 11.. The recess is in the post H is of such size relatively to the thickness of the brace E that it will rotate freely therein. While I prefer to make the brace pieces E E in one integral piece with each other and with the connecting part E, it is obvious that the parts E E may be separate and distinct pieces, and the part E which is between the hinge eyes, a separate rod secu red thereto or to the base stand. At or near the base or binding end extending inwardly for a short distance and terminating in a crank portion 13, which crank portion hinges in the eyes 3. As hereinbefore explained, in all easel albums, in which the book is necessarily mounted upon supporting devices by one of its covers, there was difficulty in opening the book without straining the binding either when supported in an inclined position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or when attempted. to be laid flat somewhat after the manner shown in Fig. 4, and in my previous patent hereinabove referred to, or in other devices of like character well known in the art.

Referring to Fig. 4, the center leaf L represents the tendency of all the central leaves to stand vertically or vertically inclined. In order to properly insert the pictures without tearing the mats, it is essential that the leaf should be perfectly flat and parallel with the cover or one of the covers, and hence in pressing down the leaves to put them in that position, there is necessarily a strain upon the binding edge. Instead therefore, of using the ordinary album, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, I prefer to use the construction of album shown in Figs. 2 and 5, known as a stub back album, in which the leaf is divided near its base and provided at that point with a textile hinge at it (see Figs. 2 and 5) so that the tendency of the leaf proper or mat portion of the leaf, will be at alltimes to lie flat, irrespective of the position of the stub portion of the leaf, and hence to permit the ready insertion of the pictures into the picture mats of the several leaves, and without any strain on the binding. In addition to the function performed by the buffer knob a in limiting the inward movement of the book by contact with the bufier rod E, as hereinbefore described, it

performs the distinct, additional and important function of maintaining the back cover of the book when the album is opened-out flat for the purpose of inserting the pictures, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an easel album the combination with the book provided with a bufier rod a, and the base or stand upon which the book is mounted, provided with means against which the butter rod is adapted to abut to limit the swing of the book, of a pair of supporting arms hinged at one end to the stand, and at the other end to the lateral edges of the back cover of the book; substantially as described.

2. In an easel album the combination with the book provided with a bufier rod 0. and the base or stand upon which the book is mounted, provided with an incline D, of a pair of supporting arms E E a connecting rod E between them, and against which the said buiTer rod is adapted to abut said supporting arms being hinged at one end to the base or stand and at the other end to the back cover of the book at or about its lateral center; substantially as described.

3. In an easel album the combination of the book and a base or stand upon which the same is mounted, of supporting devices between the stand and the back cover of the book, hinged at both extremities and adapted to maintain the book normally in a vertically inclined position and also permit it to be laid flat upon the stand when desired, of a buffer rod a secured to the back cover of the book at or near its longitudinal base operating to support the book, when opened, in a plane substantially parallel with the base or stand; substantially as described.

4. In an easel album the combination with a book provided with stub leaves hinged at h to the mat or leaf proper, of a butter rod secured to the back cover of the book at or near itslongitudinal base, astand upon which the book is mounted, supporting devices between the back cover of the book and stand, hinged at both extremities and adapted to maintain the book normally in a vertically inclined position and also adapted to permit the book to be laid flat upon the stand when desired; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 13th day of November, A. D. 1893.

WILLIAM A. I-IOLMAN.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. BUSSER, H. T. FENTON.

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